Lynn Rene Anderson (born September 26, 1947) is an American country  singer. She was a consistent hit maker and one of country music’s leading ladies throughout the 1970s. Her signature tune, “I never promised you a rose garden”, topped the country and pop charts around the world in 1970, becoming one of the biggest selling records in country music history. Her sophisticated image and Countrypolitan sound helped her to become one of the first female country artists to achieve mass crossover appeal.Billboard currently ranks Lynn Anderson among the top ten most successful female country artists for all-time record sales.

In 1970, Anderson moved to Nashville with her husband, writer/producer Glenn Sutton, and signed with Columbia . She quickly scored the biggest hit of her career with the Joe South-penned “(I never promised you a) Rose Garden which topped the country charts and went all the way to number three on the pop side. It won her a Grammy for Best Female Country Performance, and proved a hit in 15 countries.

The song was written by Joe South, who recorded his own version for his 1969 Introspect album. South’s recording was far from a commercial success. Anderson loved the song and was determined to record it. Her record company did not think the song appropriate for a female, as it contained the line “I could promise you things like big diamond rings”

With extra studio time remaining and no songs left to record during this particular session, according to Anderson, she ran home and got the Joe South album that contained “Rose Garden”. Reluctantly, her producer let her record the song. After hearing the finished product, Clive Davis insisted the song be her next single release. Unlike many of today’s country artists, Lynn Anderson did not set out to achieve pop success. Nobody expected that “Rose Garden” would become such a monster hit. The song topped the country charts (staying at the No. 1 spot for five consecutive weeks), reached No. 3 on the Billboard Pop charts, and hit No. 1 on the Cashbox Pop charts, something that was virtually unheard of at the time. The song was also a hit in fifteen countries around the world and made Anderson a household name.

In 1971, Anderson was presented a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for “Rose Garden”. Joe South also won a Grammy Award for writing the song. Lynn Anderson became the sixth person to ever win the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. In addition to the coveted Grammy Award, Anderson won the Academy of Country Music’s “Top Female Vocalist” award in 1970 (her second) and the CMA Awards’ Female Vocalist of the Year award in 1971. The album Rose Garden was released in 1971. The album went gold around the world, as well as being certified RIAA Platinum in the United States. Lynn Anderson’s crossover success was the beginning of what was in store for other country artists. Other artists who subsequently enjoyed crossover success during the decade inluded Eddie Rabbitt, Crystal Gayle, Olivia Newton-John, Kenny Rogers and Anne Murray. In 1971, Anderson released a Christmas album, simply entitled The Christmas Album, which featured re-makes of big holiday hits from the 1950s and 1960s. That same year she was chosen as Ambassador for the Christmas Seal Campaign. In 1972, she released a Greatest Hits album, one of many she would release in her career. source :wikipedia